A vernier balance is a measuring tool with a second scale next to the primary scale, invented by Pierre Vernier in 1631. It improves accuracy by aligning the vernier mark with the primary scale. It is used in micrometers, calipers, weighing devices, and other tools for precision measurement. Vernier scales can be flat or rotary, and are used in sextants and slide rules for greater accuracy.
A vernier balance is a series of measuring lines added to micrometers, calipers and weighing devices to improve measurement accuracy. It was created by the French mathematician Pierre Vernier in 1631. The principle is to place a second scale next to the primary scale with different spacing of the lines of the scale. This is typically ten lines or units for every nine on the primary scale. The human eye is quite adept at determining when lines fall adjacent to each other, which is how a vernier reading is obtained.
Any measurement that falls between the lines of the primary can be determined by where the vernier mark lines up with the primary scale. For example, if a measurement is read between 50 and 51, regardless of units, the vernier will align with the major scale at a value between 51 and 60 on the major scale. The vernier scale will normally show lines from 0 to 10, so if lining up at 7 on the vernier scale, the measurement would be 50.7.
The micrometers and gauges used for precision machining require accuracy down to very small values. These devices typically have a fixed arm and a movable arm to adjust the shape of the object, with measurement scales along the movable arm. Accuracy to the thousandth of an inch or millimeter is often required. Adjusting the vernier scale to read 20 increments for every 19 on the main scale can further improve this accuracy. Vernier scales with a rotating dial can add further accuracy by taking advantage of the circumference of the dial circle, which adds further accuracy.
Vernier scales can be flat scales, as are common on slide calipers for measuring the internal or external dimensions of objects. Dial micrometers are commonly used to measure the external dimensions of smaller objects, with rotary dial scales offering greater accuracy. Laboratory balances used for precision weight measurement of laboratory samples may use a digital dial or a sliding dial with a vernier scale to provide greater accuracy.
Other devices also use a vernier scale for measurement accuracy. Sextants, used by mariners for celestial navigation, use vernier scales to measure the angles of the sun or stars above the horizon. Slide rules, analog mechanical computers invented in the 1600s, use vernier scales to improve the accuracy of mathematical calculations. Slide rules were commonly used in construction, engineering, and aerospace until electronic calculators and computers became affordable to the average consumer in the 1970s.
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